Greetings Lifers,
What is up! Half-way through another Thursday – must be time for an email to you all. Which direction should we head in for this one? Light and airy? Solemn and introspective? Revelatory and detailed? A combo of all three? I don’t know – may be I’ll just type and see where this goes.
How about we start, finish, and find our middle in the inestimable grace of God, no matter which of the previous tones prevails?
Truth be told, God’s grace is smack-dab in the middle of every mood, emotion, and circumstance that we face, regardless of its positive or negative vibe. What I mean is that everything we are is rooted in, wrapped around, and heading into the grace of God. In Him we live and move and have our being (Acts 17) - and all because of grace. He has truly given us beyond what we could ever merit.
I find His grace more evident in the good times, don’t you? It’s hard not to, especially if you’re just coming out of a period of life where things haven’t been so great. You know what I'm talking about? That break you’ve been waiting for finally arrives and you can point to nothing else except the grace of God as it cause. It’s like someone turns the “God volume up to 11” and you’re hemmed in on all sides by His love and mercy and grace.
But then there are those not-so-great times, right? The times where God’s grace seems all but invisible, unperceivable to the afflicted and unattainable to boot. But I am reminded over and over again that “grace unseen” is not the same as “grace not at all”. Grace gurgles just below the surface of our calamities, like a huge oil field hidden beneath a lifeless desert. All we see is desolation, but God is working behind (and beneath) our scene as He prepares a gusher of grace for the exact time we need it. His grace may come in the form of complete deliverance, but more often I find that it takes the form of a reprieve, a brief but welcome respite from the desert so that we can refuel and have enough to face whatever is coming next.
Ah, but make no mistake – the grace is there. It’s the heart beat of the Christian life – in fact, take a second to put you pointer finger on your carotid (that’s the artery in your neck, in case you’ve blocked out freshman year anatomy class). Feel that pulse beating? As sure as you heart is pumping blood through your veins, so God is pushing His grace to and through your soul, always, without ceasing. His grace makes us go. Praise God for His amazing grace. Amen.
Now for some more of what God is doing around here at Bay Life, I turn it over to my stellar assistantBeverly
How about we start, finish, and find our middle in the inestimable grace of God, no matter which of the previous tones prevails?
Truth be told, God’s grace is smack-dab in the middle of every mood, emotion, and circumstance that we face, regardless of its positive or negative vibe. What I mean is that everything we are is rooted in, wrapped around, and heading into the grace of God. In Him we live and move and have our being (Acts 17) - and all because of grace. He has truly given us beyond what we could ever merit.
I find His grace more evident in the good times, don’t you? It’s hard not to, especially if you’re just coming out of a period of life where things haven’t been so great. You know what I'm talking about? That break you’ve been waiting for finally arrives and you can point to nothing else except the grace of God as it cause. It’s like someone turns the “God volume up to 11” and you’re hemmed in on all sides by His love and mercy and grace.
But then there are those not-so-great times, right? The times where God’s grace seems all but invisible, unperceivable to the afflicted and unattainable to boot. But I am reminded over and over again that “grace unseen” is not the same as “grace not at all”. Grace gurgles just below the surface of our calamities, like a huge oil field hidden beneath a lifeless desert. All we see is desolation, but God is working behind (and beneath) our scene as He prepares a gusher of grace for the exact time we need it. His grace may come in the form of complete deliverance, but more often I find that it takes the form of a reprieve, a brief but welcome respite from the desert so that we can refuel and have enough to face whatever is coming next.
Ah, but make no mistake – the grace is there. It’s the heart beat of the Christian life – in fact, take a second to put you pointer finger on your carotid (that’s the artery in your neck, in case you’ve blocked out freshman year anatomy class). Feel that pulse beating? As sure as you heart is pumping blood through your veins, so God is pushing His grace to and through your soul, always, without ceasing. His grace makes us go. Praise God for His amazing grace. Amen.
Now for some more of what God is doing around here at Bay Life, I turn it over to my stellar assistant
Peace,
Mark
At the INFOdesk@baylife.org
- Welcome Lunch | Sunday, Sep 18 @ 1 pm, lobby - register at the INFOdesk
Community Garden - Practical Prayer Training | Sep 25 @ 1 pm Rm 603 - open to all
- Life Group Bonus Training | Sep 25 6:30 pm, the loft
- Prayer Night | Sep 27 @ 7 pm, Family Chapel
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